Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-05-28

letter.. Notes, and NOte-Paper.
From Harper's Bazaar.
IL Is astonishing to notice how plain all station
| cry has become. The word would seem TO indi-
cate stability, but there is nothing 50 little sta
| tiOnary as stationery. Not ten years ago every
| lady had her monogram and her crest on her
paper, or motto, or her initials In fac-simile put
| In one corner In dash OF red or blue or purple.
Now she has TO find something ragged-edged and
plain II she wishes her note 70 be In the fashion.
"crests IS my leading har5icie but deal In
London: and 1t is cause OF great regret That the
| noble science OF heraldry should be open to the
! ignorance OF charlatanS who arrange and bl.iZon
coats or arms at complete variance with personal
| history. and In violation or all precedent Her
aidic devices are the hai-marks OF certain fam
! Ines; many OF them go back 10 the crusades; but
In Tue present day these ancient testimonials Of
honorable service and vlrtu0uS lives have been
uSurped and appropriated by ignorant and aSpir-
! ing people, and sold over and over again by un-
/ scrupuiOuS traders, VINO minister to bad taste.
/ What right has MT. NOakeS TO the arms OF the
| Percy family? And vet he often assumes them. 1t
Is very serious offense in the law, and heavily
punished, II man infringeS trade-mark. What
| rlght has he TO infringe a heraldc device?
No doubt this has had its effect in driving creStS
and cipherS out OF the letter-paper trade, and
wholesome plainnesS reigns. There can be no OBJ
lection, however TO motto IL we'll chosen, to an
Initial or 10 little crest IL 1t Is really ones own.
But the postai-card and the plain sheet of note
paper, the telegram and the hirry-Scurry in which
we live, may be said To have Obliterated all ones
oid-fashioned ideas of an elegant note" II used
to be said that orators wrote affectedy, ministers
oOsCurely, poets foridly, learned men pedanti-
cdliy. and soldiers toierably-when they could
SPELL no talent among men hath more scholars
and fewer masters, says another. But nowadays
orators and ministers, soldiers and ladies' send
postal and avoid as much rs possible all the gene
/ of writing letters.
| No; must admit that women still write let
tiers. and many OF them, and very pretty letters.
The palm of good letJeT-writting has always been
awarded to The fair sex. Bulwer called woman
| "the genius OF epistOary correspondence" and In
in his fine. affected way went on To say that one
| saw the f<.ir face bending over the paper. "Men
always write better TO woman than TO each
other" he says. NO doubt they conjure up, while
writing. the loving, listening face, the tender,
parioning heart, the ready tear OF sympathy, and
| passionate condolences OF heart and brain flow
rapidly from the pen" Bulwer lived. however, In
the ''crowquill age y and was not above nonsense
| himself.
! ifhe could see the busy woman, with her steel
/ pen in the perpetual fountain, scribbIing Off
| ra5ged-edged, ugly paper a dozen notes, or per-
| hapS, even worse, writing "po,tai with pencil
at a street corner, h. would hardly Call her the
! genius OF epiStolary correspondence" We lead
lille so crowded with events that we have not time
10 record them for the benefit of country cousins.
All we can do is To answer dinner Invitations
| properly, and not 10 outrage good taste in our
| HO:e-pape
our Industrious and persevering ancestors wrote
under difficulties, with their parchment on their
knees: and even within modern memories the
difficulty OF folding large sheet of paper and al
fixing seal TO ii 50 that the writing would not be
spoiled, are accomplishments which our mothers
were Taught at school. Indeed, there are well-au-
tbent1cafed cases where disposition OF fortune
was affected by tearing sheet around the wafer,
and very good story OF early New England life
was 10 the effect that an offer OF
rage was misinterpreted from the same cause
! The invention OF the envelope was a most in
valuable preventive TO these accidents; but it is
like the cameia-hafr shawl and the workmanship
OF EtruScan gOlt as our tools have improved our
letJer-Writlng has degeneraJed. These modern
neat, convenient envelopes contain no such letters
rs were those OF Madame de Sevigne Miss Austen.
Miss Quincy, Caroline Fox, and Others.
Addison says: 81 desire my Appropriateness, when
They write TO NE, to say something which would
make NE wish my self with them, rather than make
lie compliments that they wished themselves with
he"
The Germans say that the pronoun syou- should
always precede the pronoUn Il" in a letter; that
one should begin letter, ''YOur last letter, my
dear friend a.; being simply protest against
cSOtlsm}. But these general rules are Of no avail.
An ep;SCoiary style is as much the outcropping OF
individual character aS Is ones conversation, and
cannot be taught II should be clear, simple, and
not careless. Handwriting has grown large and
bold: the Italian hand seems 10 have passed out
Of date Women particularly aim at noble,
broad, sweeping English hand Thick paper and
square envelopes plIin white, solid and strong,
Win WAX Seal-the5e the best and most
fashionable styles although on the table OF
fashionable lady may sill DC seen letter-paper
and envelopes OF the ddintiest and tiniest SIZE
edged with gold and silver, or tint On the edge,
and with seals in white Wax. Every one OF these
fashions 0f the past has its supporters except the
iancyCo,Ored IilnS- They have all gone out, which
Is a pity, Tor there was preparation OF purple
Lax which did u0t grow thick in the inkstaDd
very mulch 10 be coinnelded but no one must uSt,
Il now. IL is a very bad. unfasuionaDle proceed
1Eg. No one USES cOlOred inks nowadays but en-
crossing clerks.
The English ladies write innumerable letters
ana Very wen. They avoid show and smartneSS,
although u countess is apt TO have a cOrOnet
her n0te-p1per.
Monographs, if used at ALL should be in the CEN
tet on TN paper, but they quite of fashion.
a dash across one corner in the writer's hand, is
some" hat popular. but nothing Is so fashionable
as plIlhne:,s. Deep red or otner tinted paper Is
vulgar. and Sd is That very ugly paper which is
maroiei.
In difference to the universal effort at time-sav-
Ing, every lady who entertains much is sure to
have engraved r0rls for her dinner and ball tnvi-
tatiCns and she mas bu TO I'LL In the spaces. Yet
as ;IS els must be written, il is we'll 10 cultivate
The proper style for this purpose.
Ali letters 10 strangers and notes Of formal char
acter should as rule, be written in the third per-
Is Z. timing very carefully 10 be observed II You
are aSr.ed 70 dinner Informally answer infOrmaiiy
III formally, answer formally. Let your note fol-
low In style exactly that Of the invitation. As II
Mrs. Wright says:
"DEAE Mas BRowS: hope you will dine with US on
Tuesd.y at O'Clock, to meet the Rev: ~. Jones.
Mrs. Brown must answer
"DKAEEsT MES WRIGHT: / will come with pleasure
and shall be puuctual Yours truly.
ELLEN BROWN"
But If Mrs. wright sends this Invitation: Mrs.
Wright requests the pleasure OF Mr., Browns COM
pdny on The Goth OF March, at O'Clock" Mrs.
Brown must answer: Mrs Brown accepts with
pleasure the polite invitation OF Mrs Wright for
the 10Th OF March, at ociock."
4 Pen Picture Of Bismarck,s Opponent.
Berlin Letter to- London Life.
Herr Wlndthorst is very ugly, but his features
are not unpleasant; on the contrary, they show
goodness and an extraordinary degree OF intelh-
gence. His large eyes, shaded By u thick pair OF
pebbles, sparkle with mischief. The Ktadera-
dotsch often depicts him in the form of frog and
IL must be admitted that the caricature Is Stl1k-
ingly Ike hin, thanks 10 Herr WindthOrSt'S enOr-
nous mouth and thin lips, Which look ike a
Sdoer'S cut SldSlled across the face. Herr Wind
thorst Is exceedingly polite and very good
Ills conversation Is very witty and distinguished
by Il Kind OF jog rot liz per.urbabie humOr which
the Germans call GemaGi. HIS gallanury TO the
softer sex Is proyerbia1. He never fails to
propose toast to the ladies. thing un-